Traffic signals—particularly at crosswalks—are vital to the public safety and regulation of traffic flow. This is why typical crosswalk displays inform pedestrians of when to “walk” and when to “not walk.” However, numerous jaywalking incidents occur despite these signals. Part of the reason is that pedestrians simply do not pay attention to the crosswalk signal. People are very desensitized to these common displays and while most people are generally careful when crossing the street, there are times for all people that they are in their own zone and not paying particular attention to their surroundings. For this reason, there is a need for a system that keeps pedestrians interested in their surroundings, particularly when crossing the street. The present invention offers a system that presents images on the crosswalk display that is catered to the local community or neighborhood and is both informative and whimsical.
Another issue with current methods of crosswalk information is that pedestrians are typically limited to two bits of information. They are told to go or not go. Current crosswalk displays are configured to display a green symbol or wording when it is time to cross, while a red symbol or wording appears when it is not time to cross. Sometimes the red symbol will blink, or numbers will count down, as the permission to cross is about to expire. But the number countdown provides the only opportunity for pedestrians to know how long they have in the street before the light ultimately will change. This aspect is uninteresting and fails to capture the attention of some absent-minded pedestrians. There continues to be a need for a system that makes crossing the street interesting and fun while also being informative. The present invention solves that need through the display of localized mascots that depict a regional or localized theme while also engaging on some sort of action or form that demonstrates to the viewer the time and opportunity to cross the street.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,654,705 issued to Van Houten et al on Sep. 6, 1997, is an apparatus for prompting pedestrians that uses an animated pictorial as an information display. Unlike the system of the present invention, Van Houten is an apparatus that merely seeks to inform pedestrians relating to the crosswalk display that is hardwired to use such limited images and sensors. The present invention, however, is linked to a network with a hub controller. In this manner, the images of the present invention can be changed as frequently as desired while also being targeted to select crosswalk displays that are connected to the network. This contrast pertaining to the present invention also applies to numerous other attempts at pedestrian flow and information.
Current systems of crosswalk displays also fail to cater the images or displays to select neighborhoods, blocks or mere street corner. While timing of the displays can be altered, there is not a mechanism to modify select locally recognizable images for select traffic signals in a quick and technician-free manner. The present invention solves this issue by permitting a user at a central location to upload at least one image into a computer that is wired into a network containing the relevant traffic and crosswalk signals. In this manner, the present invention allows this user to target specific crosswalk displays with specific images that can relate to a state/province, city, neighborhood or even block. The user can change, remove or add images as needed.